Landmark 186 · Trial in people
DAPA-PD (dapansutrile)
Will tell us whether the tablet is safe and lowers inflammation in 36 people over six months. Too small to show slowing.
In short
A 36-person placebo-controlled Phase 2 at Cambridge is testing whether an oral NLRP3 inhibitor is safe and reduces inflammation in early Parkinson's; it began in February 2026 and is due to finish its main phase around May 2027.
- What it is
- Trial in people
- Outcome
- Result due May 2027
- When
- 2026–2027
- Size
- 36 people · Phase 2
- Approach
- Look beyond the brain
- Research lane
- Inflammation & immunity
- Trial registry
- NCT07157735
- Last checked
- 18 Oct 2026
The research record
This is the project's file for this landmark, as written and checked. Sources are listed at the end; anything not yet confirmed is marked "Not yet verified".
Who
Caroline Williams-Gray and colleagues, Cambridge University Hospitals and University of Cambridge. Drug maker: Olatec Therapeutics. Funders: Cure Parkinson's and Van Andel Institute. Registry: NCT07157735; also ISRCTN16806940.
What is being tested
Dapansutrile is a tablet that blocks the NLRP3 inflammasome, the pathway in landmark 55. It follows the immune-suppression trial AZA-PD (landmark 155), which moved immune markers but not symptoms.
- 36 people aged 50–80 with early Parkinson's (under 5 years, Hoehn and Yahr stage 2 or less) and raised blood CRP (at least 1 mg/L).
- 2:1 to dapansutrile or placebo for 6 months (1,000 mg a day for 4 weeks, then 2,000 mg a day), then an optional 6 months open-label.
- Single site; started 2 February 2026; recruiting as of the June 2026 registry update.
What would count as success
The main measure is safety (adverse events over 6 months). Key secondary measures: brain inflammation on TSPO PET scan, inflammatory markers in blood and spinal fluid (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, ASC specks), and neurofilament light. Motor scores are exploratory. It is too small to prove slowing; success means safe, drug reaching the target and inflammation measurably lower.
Sources
- ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07157735 (read via API, 18 Oct 2026) · ISRCTN16806940
- Cure Parkinson's, Feb 2024 announcement · Williams-Gray lab page
- Not yet verified: the end of the double-blind phase versus the registry's 2027-05 primary completion; any results; whether recruitment is complete.
How it connects
Built on
- tests NLRP3 inflammasome · 2018
- builds on AZA-PD azathioprine · 2020
Led to
None recorded.